ADAMS ACES MONDAY

Good morning dancers, this morning is a kind of drizzling rain and a slight breeze out of the East and about +2 C. 
Once again this evening is Adams Aces where we will dial it back a little, as many are returning following a few weeks away. I will cover most, if not all, the Calls on the A1 List from the most standard positions, and hopefully everyone will have a pleasant evening of A1 dancing.
That's about all I have this morning, and we hope to see you at Aces tonight. Take care of yourself and each other and I'll see you on the Dance Floor.

COOKIE CLUB SUNDAY

Good Sunday morning, with a temperature of 0 C. a little foggy and a breeze out of the West of 6 km/h which makes the air feel like -2 C. We should see a mix of rain and snow throughout the day and only getting to +2 C by mid afternoon.

Today the Cookie Club Program looks like this: "CrossFire",(Lines In / Out), "Spin The Windmill", (Lines & Diamonds), "Coordinate -But" (Replace the Centres: Trade with A Remake), "Split Transfer" ( Waves & Columns). Of course all the rest of the Advanced Calls we can cover, are already or automatically included in the program. After today we won't see you until the second Sunday in November which is the 11th.

For the Dancers returning from Peterborough today, please drive carefully, we want everyone home safe and sound. Tomorrow is Adams Aces Monday and we hope to see you all there. I will post that Program tomorrow morning.

That's all I have for today, so take care of yourself and each other and I see you on the Dance Floor.

FRIDAY AT THE FORGE

Good Saturday morning to you, the temperature is 0C and feels like -5C and there is a chance of showers by this afternoon. Sorry I didn't get writing this up earlier, but yesterday was Friday At The Forge, I was there before 9:00 AM and left about 2:00 PM which could be considered a full day. However, I only got about half as much accomplished as I had thought I would. I didn't calculate how long it takes to hammer one piece of red hot steel into the shape I wanted it to be, so next "Friday At The Forge" will be a continuation of today's adventure, only on the other half of my Tong production. 
This was a great day in my life and I had a ton of fun being with my Brother and at the anvil, and now we both know learning to do this Blacksmithing thing takes a good bit of patients, preparation, concentration, examination and perspiration, all before fatigue sets in, and we are DONE. One thing we have learned in the last two Fridays is, now we know why there are not Blacksmith's Shops on every corner like there are Tim Horton's. This is really quite an art-form, but if it wasn't difficult, it wouldn't be worth while doing, me thinks.
Tomorrow is "COOKIE CLUB SUNDAY" I know many are are away, so this is a good chance to hone up your A2 skill level and I will try to make it so. I will post the Program tomorrow morning.

I don't have much else right now, so take care of yourself and each other and I'll see you on the Dance Floor or Friday At The Forge.

THURSDAY

Good cool Thursday morning to you, yes! I know it's a little early but I woke up thinking about "Friday at the Forge" and couldn't get back to sleep, so here I am. The temperature now is +1C but the 19 km/h wind out of the North West makes it feel like -4C. Today and tomorrow we will see a mix of sun and cloud throughout the day.

Another good night at the Village Squares last night, with fantastic decorations by Robert & Rosie, fantastic snacks by Gay & Dave, good participation with all the costumes, and some really good dancing. Also, thanks to Joe and Evelyn, our webmasters, for coming out to visit and taking some pictures. 

Tomorrow is Friday at the Forge and I am hoping to produce a pair of V Bit Tongs. Tongs are simply a long handled pair of pliers used to hold hot steel while placing the steel in and out of the forge and holding it at the anvil, there are tongs for every shape and size of handable steel and V Bit Tongs are very useful for us at this time, and that is why I will make them first. The best part of Blacksmithing is all you need is a Forge, an Anvil and a Hammer some steel and you can make almost anything you need. Now that's not saying everything we make will be perfect, but it will be servisable for sure. The best part of my adventure at the Forge is being with my brother.

These are V Bit Tongs

I will try to take some step by step pictures and put them on this Blog.

Well that's all I have for today, so take care of yourself and each other and I'll see you on the Dance Floor.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT VILLAGE SQUARES

Good Wednesday morning to you, your time

date and weather can be found right here. The temperature now at 7:20 AM is 4 C with a 5 km/h breeze out of the NW. and mostly sunny all the day.

Tonight is the Halloween Dance at the Village Squares however that will not slow down our progress. 7:00- 7:30 Plus, reviewing the following Calls,"Acey Deucey"- "Ping Pong Circulate" - "Load The Boat" - "Linear Cycle" - "Coordinate" - "Track II" - "Spread" - "Roll" - "Fan The Top" - "Explode The Wave" - "Trade the Wave" - "Grand Swing Thru"- "Follow Your Neighbour" & "Spin Chain The Gears". If we can get through these calls we look a Diamond Circulate" - "Flip The Diamond" - "Peel Off" & "Single Circle".

Mainstream from 7:00 - 9:30 I will Call as many Basic as I Can and Review "Cloverleaf" and "Slide Thru" new last week and to night we will teach "Turn Thru" - "Eight Chain Thru" - "Pass To The Centre". We may need someone to fill the Plus Square as one couple are away.

That's all I have for today, take care of yourself and each other and I'll see you on the Dance Floor.

ADAMS' ACES TONIGHT

Good morning to you, on this Monday, October 22, our Municipal Election Day here in our town, so get out and VOTE. The temperature outside this morning is -4C and overcast. there is a chance it will get to plus 5C by this afternoon with some showers.

DID YOU KNOW

From about the time one dance night ends until the next dance night arrives, some amount of time is spent by the callers, thinking of, and planning which path or direction should be taken that will build your, (the dancers) confidence and competence and therefore improve your call definition knowledge, as well as the handedness of the starting formation/s or position/s from which calls can be used, and therefore improving the ability of all the dancers in attendance. When the callers pick the calls they think needs to be workshopped or themed or practiced  during the evening, and puts this all down on paper or on the computer and then picks the music for the Patter and the Singing Calls for the evening, this is called building a Program. Now that you have read  and understand this, here is tonight's Adams Aces Program.

The theme calls to be workshopped at Aces tonight are, Cast A Shadow, Square Chain Thru and Left Square Chain Thru , Chain Reaction, Explode The Line, and Linear Cycle. If we cannot get all  these calls covered tonight, then I will hold the ones we don't cover, over until next week, but before the end of this Square Dance year (in April) we will have covered every call on the A1 List. 

That is all I have for today's old Blog so, take care of yourself and each other and I'll see you on the Dance Floor.

COOKIE CLUB SUNDAY

Good very cool Sunday morning, I know it's early but the temperature outside is +1 C and it feels like -4 C and the wind out of the West at 19 km/h is what is driving the feeling down. However there will be a mix of sun and cloud all day and we will be okay.

We had a wonderful time last night in Perth where we celebrated a fiftieth birthday of a very good friend, it was also great to see and chat with friends and acquaintances who are no longer active in our square dance circle but the bond is still there. The saying "Once A Square Dancer, Always A Square Dancer" is so true and being active or not, makes no difference.

FRIENDSHIP SET TO MUSIC

This afternoon of course is The Cookie Club and I think the drive here and back for you will be just fine. I will try to cover all the Advanced Calls and put a little twist on "Crossfire", "Left", and "Circulate", these calls most times seem to have a somewhat negative effect on the success of the Square, "just-sayin'-'s-al".

Adams Aces tomorrow evening and we hope to see you there.

That is all I have for today so take care of yourself and each other and I'll see you on the Dance Floor.

FRIDAY AT THE FORGE

Good Rainy Saturday morning with a temperature of 9C here in our town. Part of today will be spent working on the A2 Program for the Cookie Club tomorrow afternoon. 
Thursday evening we went to visit Dave & Marie Currie and the Kanata Squares where we had a great time meeting and dancing with friends and making new friends with the newer members of the club, with the highlight being, a surprise visit and dance with Richard Charman (fromer Ottawa Caller) now living in BC, and in town for a few days. 

Someone asked me one time, what I would do if I was to ever retire from Square Dance Calling, to which I answered, "there are many things I would like to do, I wouldn't know where to start and anyway I haven't retired from calling yet". Now a couple of years later, what do you know, surprisingly and with our friends Lyal & Cathy's guidance the first was to see if I could learn to play golf and although I am not a good golfer and likely never will be, I sure enjoy the game. Another was to learn how to draw or sketch, some of which you may have seen posted here from time to time. My latest adventure is spending some time exploring my youth while working at the forge and anvil. Today that thought, shared with my brother a few weeks ago turned into reality, as our new Majestic Three Burner Deluxe Gas Forge arrived Tuesday and yesterday was my first day on this adventure of Blacksmithing. WOW! What an absolutely funnest day ever, being with my brother and playing at the forge just like we did 65 years ago. However, I was sure worn-out by the time I got home and spent most of the evening sleeping in my chair. Here are a few photos of the task of making a Holdfast, which is a steel device heated and forged, to be used on the anvil to hold your work piece in place while you mark, punch, or chisel it. Not a very difficult piece of work but a ton of fun making it and making it fit and work on the anvil.

So now it's Saturday morning I feel great and ready for the next round. Anyone wanting to know what I might do (when and/or if), I ever retire from calling. The answer is, I'll be sketching or blacksmithing in the fall and winter, camping, golfing or riding my bike, in the spring and summer or pursuing some new yet to be discovered dream.

That's it for today so take care of yourself and each other and I'll see you on the Dance Floor.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Good morning, yes, it is Thanksgiving Day, which means it won't be long until Christmas, which also means it's not too long till winter brrrrr. We hope this post finds everyone well or as well as can be expected at most of our ages. 

On the Square Dance scene there will not be dancing tonight at Adams Aces as the schools are closed. Wednesday evening is of course the Village Squares where everything is flowing along very nicely, with some learning Plus, some learning Mainstream and others finishing up the Basic Program.

Next Sunday October 14th. 2:00 - 4:00 PM is when The Cookie Club starts up for another season of Advanced Dancing (A1 & A2) and we look forward to seeing everyone again. 

Also, next Sunday is the first ever HARVEST HOP held at the Centre Charles-Emile Claude, 146 Chevrier Ave. Cornwall 1:30 - 4:00 PM. Don Moger, Dave Hutchinson, and Jean Clingin. Full Basics through to A2, & Rounds. 

I just checked the weather and it looks like rain and warm today and it will stay like that for a few days then drop to around between 10 and 15 degrees till about Oct. 22. so I'm not too sure whats happening over at the golf course, as I haven't played in almost four weeks.

That's all I have for today, enjoy your Turkey, if that's what your having, don't eat too much, which we all do, and take care of yourself and each other and I'll see you on the Dance Floor.